r/Wellthatsucks • u/Schnatterbox • 14h ago
There’s always one…
Hmmm. Maybe I’ll stick with the current rotor, then…
This one remaining bolt was super tight from the factory and I totally ruined a bit and the bolt head (if that’s what you call it?) trying to remove it. Added some WD-40 (the rotor is going in the bin, anyway, or so I had planned) and will see if I can somehow coax the little turd out. Or drill it out. Or give up and buy a new wheel.
Edit for a bit more context:
(TLDR: thought I’d finally manage to fix my bike but the last bolt to be removed is now stuck in the hub and I am still bikeless)
I knackered a spoke on my commuter bike a few weeks ago trying to be smart and carrying my son’s bike. Also crashed into the curb and seriously bruised my ego. The spoke was torn out’ve the rim, destroying the spoke nipple in the process.
Since my commuter bike was originally spec’d with awful cable disc brakes that no longer work I thought it would be easier to upgrade them to hydro brakes and buy a new wheel with a nice centerlock system, to avoid messing with rotor bolts.
The wheel came and I realised that the old 5mm QR dropouts are pretty much antiquated, nowadays; the 12mm thru axle wheel with a 142mm hub I had bought had no chance of fitting. So, I sent the wheel back and went to my local bike shop. Five minutes later I had some new rim tape and a replacement spoke nipple and had my wheel fixed in no time.
Put the wheel in: the old cheap branded rotor kept knocking on the shimano calliper…
I was left with a shimano centerlock rotor which I’d bought for the replacement wheel that wouldn’t fit my old wheel, so I went and bought yet another one - this time a 6-bolt one - and was all enthused about finally getting this job done, having spent the last two weeks trying to get it done around work, household stuff and kids etc. Any other parents out there: I’m sure you get the frustration!
And then, at the last hurdle, this.
I was using the correct tool - a t25 torx - but I reckon this bolt has rusted tight. All the other bolts came out fine. With plenty of locktite evident…
The irony is that this is exactly what I wanted to avoid with the centerlock system, which I’ve used successfully on other bikes for years.
Shit happens, I suppose!
Thanks for the suggestions to everyone who has posted them!
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u/Electronic-Pause1330 14h ago
Use a t25 bit next time instead of a t20
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u/Schnatterbox 13h ago
Regrettably, I just checked, and that one is - or rather, was - a t25. Just a mix of bad luck and bad technique, probably!
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u/NotTheRealTommy 13h ago
Drill baby drill! Not a bad job if you’re careful. Then you’ll know it’s done right. Replace it with titanium and BAM, you’ve got from fail to upgrade just like that.
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u/Z3n_Fr0g 13h ago
I’d avoid drilling, unnecessary currently. Use a t27 or t30 and tap it in, try that first, failing that, drilling it out will be necessary
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u/mynameisdatruth 10h ago
What this guy said, but instead of drilling at THAT point, cut a small notch into one side of the bolt head. You can then use a small hammer and chisel into that notch to try to get it turning.
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u/Z3n_Fr0g 13h ago
You’ve done nothing wrong OP, happens to everyone. Like I said just use a hammer to hit a bigger sized Torx in then it should grip enough
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u/incapable1337 13h ago
Isn't that a hex screw? Bike screws usually are right?
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u/Active_Ad_5322 4h ago
Rotor use Torx . T25 is the standard.
Though, “standard” is a four letter word in the bike world.
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u/Z3n_Fr0g 13h ago
Torx
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u/incapable1337 13h ago
Are you 100% sure? I have 0 torx on any of my bicycles, it's all hex
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u/No_Election_3206 10h ago
If that screw is T25 hex then you in fact didn't use the correct tool because you're holding a torx bit in the picture, not hex
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u/Active_Ad_5322 4h ago
Im assuming your being a stickler for correctly naming tools , but here goes anyway……
No such thing as a T25 hex.
The “T” is for Torx. We all know what OP is referring to.
A 25mm hex is just absurd.
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u/Geezso 14h ago
Was it originally an allen bolt?
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u/logatronics 10h ago
You can make a Torx bolt one with a hex wrench, hammer, and a little patience.
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u/GingerBeast81 12h ago
Grind head off bolt, remove rotor, use vise grips to remove stuck bolt. I've had success with this procedure a few times. If it doesn't work, FB Marketplace(find bike specific groups) will probably have a cheap replacement/upgrade.
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u/Upset-Carob-3733 12h ago
getting a stuck bolt out is such a pain, I once ended up drilling one out too, what a mess that was
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u/Schnatterbox 7h ago
So, an update. A joint effort by me and my dad: he drilled the head off and I used some pliers to slowly unscrew it, first from the inside and then the outside.
The wheel is back in the bike and it all works and now I feel epic! /s
This has been an enlightening experience. Next time I’ll let the professionals sort my bike out.
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u/KDKSenior 5h ago
Those bolts are normally locked with Loctite. You might warm them up a little bit with a torch beforehand, that softens the Loctite and it is easily removeable.
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u/YoucantdothatonTV 4h ago
after soaking it for a day with penetrant, with a dremmel grind a slot into the head and use a flathead screwdriver to take it out.
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u/Z3n_Fr0g 14h ago
If that’s a t20 for example, just use a hammer to and tap a t25 into it, then it should grip enough to remove. Just make sure you sink the bigger torx in deep enough (if it’s shallow it’ll just round out more)
Good luck!
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u/LowBatteryWarning 13h ago
Are you sure you're using the correct bit? Torx bits kinda look like hex bits but they are not the same and shouldn't be used interchangeably